Pennsylvania · Tickets, Points & Your Record
How many points is a speeding ticket in PA?
Two to five, by how far over you were — 6–10 over is 2 points, 11–15 is 3, 16–25 is 4, 26+ is 5. At 31+ over, the points stop being the story. That conviction brings a required PennDOT hearing and Driver Improvement School all by itself. Here’s the whole schedule, the 6- and 11-point tripwires — and how points come off.
No course you can choose removes PA points. Clean driving takes off 3 a year.
Wondering what a course can do here? The honest eligibility guide →
Speeding, by the band
Two ordinary 3-point tickets = the 6-point letter. PA stacks its routine violations at 3.
Speeding, by the band
The Pennsylvania point system for speeding: the tiers, and where they escalate
31+ mph over
Points plus a required PennDOT hearing and Driver Improvement School, whatever your total (75 Pa.C.S. §1538(d)). The hearing can add an on-road exam or a suspension of up to 15 days. Finishing that school removes no points. It is PennDOT’s school, not our course.
26–30 mph over
One conviction here plus almost anything else reaches the 6-point trigger. For drivers under 18, 26+ over is an automatic 90-day suspension by itself.
16–25 mph over
Two-thirds of the way to PennDOT’s 6-point letter, from one ticket.
11–15 mph over — and the everyday cluster
The most common band. In an active work zone, this tier and up adds a 15-day suspension on top of the points. Red lights, stop signs, yield signs, following too closely, most improper passing land here too — two ordinary tickets = the 6-point letter.
6–10 mph over
The floor of the schedule. (Tickets at 5 or less over exist. The point schedule starts at this band.)
Passing a stopped school bus is 5 points plus a 60-day suspension on every conviction. And when careless driving is convicted alongside another pointed offense from the same stop, only the other offense scores. PA doesn’t double-dip.
The rest of the schedule
Pennsylvania points on your license: what every other violation costs
| Violation | 75 Pa.C.S. § | Points | Also carries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk | 3542(a) | 2 | — |
| Failure to stop for a red light | 3112(a)(3) | 3 | — |
| Failure to stop for a flashing red light | 3114(a)(1) | 3 | — |
| Failure to stop for a stop sign | 3323(b) | 3 | — |
| Failure to yield at a yield sign | 3323(c) | 3 | — |
| Following too closely | 3310 | 3 | — |
| Improper passing | 3303–3305 | 3 | — |
| Failure to yield to a blind pedestrian | 3549(a) | 3 | — |
| Careless driving | 3714(a) | 3 | No points when another offense from the same stop scores (§1535(b)) |
| Exceeding the special speed limit in a school zone | 3365(b) | 3 | 60-day suspension on a second or later offense |
| Improper passing on a hill | 3306(a)(1) | 4 | — |
| Leaving the scene of an accident, property damage only | 3745 | 4 | — |
| Failure to comply with a crossing gate or barrier | 3341(b) | 4 | 30-day suspension |
| Failure to stop for a school bus with flashing red lights | 3345(a) | 5 | 60-day suspension on every conviction |
Speeding 11 or more over in an active work zone adds a 15-day suspension (75 Pa.C.S. §1535(e)). Pass a stopped school bus and you lose your license for 60 days, even the first time.
What accumulating does
How many points before you lose your license in PA?
Exam or school — your pick. PennDOT’s letter offers a special written exam (pass = 2 points removed) or its Driver Improvement School (complete = 4 removed). 30 days to choose and comply, or you’re suspended until you do.
A departmental hearing and the school. A 15-day suspension is possible the second time, 30 days the third. The hearing examiner can also recommend an on-road exam, and PennDOT decides whether to require it.
Automatic suspension, no hearing. 5 days per point the first time, 10 per point the second, 15 the third. A full year for any accumulation after that.
When your license comes back after a point suspension, your record usually shows 5 points. One ordinary ticket puts you back at the 6-point letter.
How points come off
How long do points stay on your license in PA?
There is no set date. Points stay until clean driving takes them off: 3 points for every 12 months in a row without a violation.
The 3-points-a-year rule is 75 Pa.C.S. §1537. Points are dated to the day of the violation, not the conviction. So your clean year starts from your last ticket, or from the day your license was restored, whichever is later. PennDOT publishes no date when convictions drop off. The other way points come off is PennDOT’s own: the first time you reach 6 points, its letter offers a written exam (pass and 2 points come off) or its Driver Improvement School (finish and 4 come off). Both come with PennDOT’s letter. They are not courses you choose, and we do not offer either one. Highway Traffic School is not approved to provide Driver Improvement School.
Where a course fits
Can a course you choose lower your PA points? No. Here is what it can do.
Two honest uses: your judge, or your insurer.
Permission first, always. If your judge agrees a course helps your citation, our certificate documents your completion the moment you pass. And many insurers discount for a defensive driving course, no court involved — call yours first. $24.95 all-in, 4 hours, 20-question open-book final, unlimited retakes. What we won’t claim: that it removes points. In Pennsylvania, no course you can choose does. Our course is general defensive driving. It is not PennDOT’s Driver Improvement School, and we are not approved to provide that.
Not sure which situation you’re in? The honest eligibility guide sorts all four. The Pennsylvania course page has the course itself. Ticketed outside Pennsylvania? Every state scores tickets differently.
Points questions, answered
Pennsylvania points FAQ
How many points is a speeding ticket in PA?
Two to five, by speed: 6–10 over is 2 points, 11–15 over is 3, 16–25 over is 4, and 26+ over is 5. At 31+ over, the points are the least of it. That conviction also brings a required PennDOT hearing and Driver Improvement School, whatever your point total. The hearing can add a license suspension of up to 15 days. That school is PennDOT's own. We are not approved to provide it, and our course does not take its place.
How many points is running a red light or stop sign?
Three — the same as a flashing red, a yield sign, following too closely, and most passing violations. Pennsylvania's everyday violations cluster hard at 3 points. That's why two ordinary tickets put you at 6 — the number where PennDOT gets involved.
What happens at 6 points in Pennsylvania?
PennDOT writes to you. First time: choose a special written exam (passing removes 2 points) or PennDOT's Driver Improvement School (completing removes 4). You get 30 days, and ignoring the letter means suspension until you comply. Reach 6 again and it's a departmental hearing plus the school. A 15-day suspension is possible the second time, 30 days after that.
What happens at 11 points?
Automatic suspension, no hearing. It's 5 days per point the first time, 10 days per point the second, 15 the third. Any accumulation after that brings a full year. Eleven first-time points is a 55-day suspension — the math gets expensive fast.
How do points come off a PA record?
Mostly by safe driving: 12 consecutive months without a point-carrying violation removes 3 points, every clean year. Get to zero and stay there 12 months. Your next accumulation is then treated as your first — a true reset. No course you can choose removes Pennsylvania points. The one exception is PennDOT's own exam or school, offered the first time you reach 6 points.
Does the school-bus rule really suspend every driver?
Yes — passing a stopped school bus is Pennsylvania's harshest routine ticket. It's 5 points and a 60-day suspension on every conviction, first offense included. School-zone speeding adds a 60-day suspension from the second offense.
When do points actually hit my record?
They're dated to the violation, not the conviction. And PennDOT must assign them within six months of the conviction or they're void. That violation-date rule matters for the clean-year clock. The 12 months run from your last violation date, not from when the paperwork caught up.
My teen just got a ticket. What are the under-18 rules?
Tougher ones: 6 or more points, or a single conviction of 26+ mph over, means a 90-day suspension. It's 120 days for each one after. The rule keys on the violation happening before their 18th birthday. So the suspension can land after they turn 18.
How long do violations stay on a PA driving record?
PennDOT publishes no date when convictions drop off. Points come off under the clean-year rule, but the convictions stay on your full driver history. No PA source supports a five-year fall-off.
Can a defensive driving course lower my PA points?
No — and we sell one, so believe us when we say it: no voluntary course removes Pennsylvania points. Our $24.95 course genuinely helps in two spots. A judge who's agreed to consider it for your citation, or an insurer discount you've confirmed by phone. The eligibility guide sorts out which situation is yours.
Judge said yes, or insurer confirmed? Then it’s 4 hours.
$24.95 all-in, audio included, certificate the instant you pass.
Start My Course — $24.95 →Questions first? support@highwaytrafficschool.com · text or call 1-888-406-1726, Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm PT